Many people now agree that cults frequently psychologically manipulate their membership to
ensure conformity and control. Steve Hassan's excellent book "Combating Cult Mind-Control" is
a great starting point. The following points come from numerous sources. Not all of these are
found in every cult but enough of them are found in most cults to make them very frightening
places that inflict deep psychological damage on their membership.

1. Submission to Leadership - Leaders tend to be absolute, prophets of God, God Himself,
specially anointed apostle, or just a strong, controlling, manipulative person who demands
submission even if changes or conflicts occur in ideology or behavior.

2. Polarized World View - The group is all that is good; everything outside is bad.

3. Feeling Over Thought - Emotions, intuitions, mystical insights are promoted as more
important than rational conclusions.

4. Manipulation of Feelings - Techniques designed to stimulate emotions, usually employing
group dynamics to influence responses.

5. Denigration of Critical Thinking - Can go so far as to characterize any independent
thought as selfish, and rational use of intellect as evil.

6. Salvation or Fulfillment can only be realized in the group.

7. End Justifies the Means - Any action or behavior is justifiable as long as it furthers
the group's goals. The group (leader) becomes absolute truth and is above all man-made laws.

8. Group Over Individual - The group's concerns supersede an individual's goals, needs,
aspirations, and concerns. Conformity is the key.

9. Warnings of severe or supernatural sanctions for defection or even criticism of the cult
- This can go so far as to apply to negative or critical thought about the group or its
leaders.

10. Severing of Ties with Past, Family, Friends, Goals, and Interests - Especially if they
are negative towards or impede the goals of the group.

11. Barratrous Abuse - Some cults use "cult lawyers' to sue ex-cult members and critics often
using fabricated evidence and causing financial stress by repeated trivial law suits. The cult's
aim is not so much to win the lawsuit (though they often do) as to harass and intimidate their
critics into silence.

Cult Conversion Techniques

Conversion into a cult is usually the result of two interacting dynamics. The first is the
personal vulnerability of the potential recruit. This vulnerability may be enhanced by, but not
limited to, transitional situations such as divorce, abuse, job or career change, moving away
from home or leaving college, an illness, or death of a loved one.

The second dynamic are the tactics used to convert, indoctrinate (brainwash) and hold the
members. Some groups attempt a radical and rapid conversion over an intensive week-end or week,
such as The Forum or Scientology. Others have a more subtle approach which may take weeks or
months, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses. The following are techniques of unethical thought
reform and mind control:

The importance of cognitive dissonance

Any person will act so as to reduce conflict between their thoughts, their emotions and
their behavior. When these things are at odds with each other a person experiences
'dissonance" (the opposite of harmony). Cognitive dissonance is when what a person knows is
right is at odds with either what they feel is right or what they are doing. Cults quickly move
to control four key areas of a person's life during the conversion process -

Behavior - by intense involvement in activity and isolation from others. Behavior is
closely prescribed and carefully supervised.

Emotions - a new recruit is often "love bombed" and greeted enthusiastically and told they
are very special. They are made to feel that everyone in the cult loves them and that "nothing
could be wrong with such a loving group of people". However this does not last. Emotions are
sent on a roller coaster and the only hope of emotional stability is total conformity and
pleasing the cult leadership.

Thought - indoctrination, extended "teaching sessions", memorization of cult dogma,
"auditing sessions" where inner secrets are revealed and thought processes exposed - all are a
part of attempts at thought control so that the thought life of the convert is taken up
entirely with the group.

Information - isolation from peers, TV, radio, newspapers, (often labeled as "Satanic") and
careful control of associations ensures that little or no material critical of the cult reaches
the new recruit during the conversion process.

The combination of all these factors make it very likely that if the new recruit stays in
the cult for any length of time they will come to believe in it utterly. We are not as
objective as we like to think and when all these powerful forces combine then very intelligent
people will be "converted" but not by God.

A Quick List of Nasty Practices

1. A Focus on felt needs, defects, with exaggerated promises of fulfillment.

2. Rigid Control of Time and Activities - Often physically and emotionally draining
activities leaving little time for reflection, questioning and privacy.

3. Information Control - Cutting off or denigrating outside sources of information
especially if it is critical of the group. This can also include misrepresentation and
information overload.

4. Language Manipulation - Ascribing new "inside" meanings in ordinary words or the use of
an exclusive vocabulary subtly moving a person to want to become an insider.

5. Discouraging Critical, Rational Thought and Questions - For instance, comments like,
"Satan is the cause of all doubt; he wants to keep you from the Truth", or, "one must move
beyond the cognitive left-brain and get in touch with one's higher self, his right-brain,
intuitive self for true knowledge".

6. Instruction and Repetition in Trance Induction Techniques - These include progressive
relaxation, chanting, hypnosis, meditation, trance states, guided imagery or visualization,
deep breathing exercises, all of which make a person highly suggestible, often unable to
distinguish between fantasy and reality, and can cause psychopathology such as relaxation
induced anxiety.

7. Confession Sessions - Promoting full disclosure of all secret sins, thoughts, temptations
which can become a powerful tool to manipulate, blackmail, and emotionally bond people to the
leader or group. It is actually a depersonalization or stripping of the inner self , a forced
submission to the group.

9. Control of Sexuality and Intimacy within the Cult - This may extend to marriage decisions
(Moonies), sexual relations, promiscuity (Children of God), group sex (New Age Therapy
groups), child sex, adultery, and polygamy (Branch-Davidians).

10. Excessive Financial Obligations - More and more money is needed to attain higher degrees
of spirituality (Scientology), or complete submission to God requires one to give up everything
to
the group or leader (pp. 26-29).

The more points of ideology and conversion methodology that are in place, and the degree of
intensity of their application is proportionate to the effect and damage of mind control.

These factors tend to make normal evangelism, or even dialogue, much more difficult.
Therefore, some people have looked to deprogrammers or exit-counselors to help break the mental
head-locks of their loved ones in an attempt to rescue them from the cult.

Can an Orthodox Christian Group Get Like This ?

Yes they can!!! Just because the theology is straight down the line does not mean the
behavior will be. I was in a mission society that in a particular place under the influence
of a leader with a great deal of charisma and authority became "cultic" for a year or so.
That has been corrected but much damage was done.

Some Christian groups start off great -like the "children of God' and end up utterly
wrong and evil. The church needs strong leaders, but they must always be accountable to
Scripture and to other wise Christians.

We must allow people to be critical, to think for themselves and to understand scripture
freely apart from the dictates of any leader. we must allow a great deal of emotional and
intellectual freedom and renounce our desires to control others if we are to have healthy
churches where people rejoice in the Truth.

This article may be freely reproduced for
non-profit ministry
purposes but may not be sold in any way.For permission to use articles
in your ministry, e-mail the editor, John Edmiston at johned@aibi.ph.